An Important Community Update from our General Manager, Rob Baldwin.

Over the past few months we’ve been completely transparent about the challenges facing Santos Organics.

It has been the hardest period in our almost 50-year history.

We reached a point where difficult decisions simply couldn’t be avoided. We restructured the business from top to bottom, reduced costs wherever possible, simplified our operations, and made incredibly tough choices to give Santos Organics the best possible chance of surviving.

Today, I’m incredibly pleased to share some good news.

A group of committed community members and supporters who deeply believe in the future of Santos Organics have come together to provide funding to help us begin rebuilding.

This isn’t a bailout, it’s a vote of confidence.

These people understand that Santos Organics is much more than a grocery store. For nearly five decades we’ve supported local growers, championed ethical producers, reduced waste, cared for our environment, and returned hundreds of thousands of dollars back into our community.

They believe Santos Organics is worth fighting for and so do we.

The funding means something exciting will happen over the coming weeks.

You’ll begin to see the abundance return.

Shelves that have felt empty will once again be full. Categories that have been reduced will come back to life. The stores will gradually begin looking and feeling like the Santos Organics you’ve always known.

Behind the scenes, our reset is complete.

We’ve dug as deep as we possibly could. Every part of the business has been reviewed. Costs continue to be reduced, systems have been improved & our team has made enormous sacrifices. Many staff have accepted salaries below industry benchmarks because they believe in what Santos Organics stands for. Our Board has gone unpaid. To date, every available dollar has gone towards suppliers, operations and keeping our doors open.

The toughest decisions have now been made, with much hard work to come but the future is looking brighter. 

But I also need to be honest.

This funding alone will not secure our future.

It simply gives us the opportunity to prove that Santos Organics still matters to this community. 

Over the past few weeks we’ve had countless people offer donations, suggest crowdfunding campaigns and ask how they can financially support us.

We are incredibly grateful.

But we’re relying on something even more powerful.

We're committed to returning Santos Organics to what it has always been, a place where our community can access ethical, sustainable and locally sourced food while supporting the growers, makers and producers who make the Northern Rivers so special.

This recovery isn't just about rebuilding our stores. It's about strengthening local food systems, supporting ethical businesses and continuing to create positive environmental and social impact for future generations.

To do that, we need our community

• We need you to shop with us.

• We need you to choose Santos Organics for your weekly groceries.

• We need you to buy gift vouchers for family and friends.

• We need you to tell people we’re here, and that we’re rebuilding.

We need you to spend time in our stores, reconnect with our team, and help bring back the energy that has always made Santos Organics so special.

Our recovery depends on returning our sales to where they were this time last year. We genuinely believe that’s achievable.

Not because of one investor and not because of one manager.

But because this community has built Santos Organics together for almost 50 years.

We’ve been given another chance.

Now we need our community to help us turn that chance into a future.

If you’ve ever believed in Santos Organics…

If you’ve ever shopped with us…

If you’ve ever wanted to support local farmers, ethical producers and a business that exists to give back…

Now is the time.

Let’s bring Santos Organics back to life together